Muddy Boots

We know from Keith’s Instagram that he visited the Agrarian Kitchen at Willow Court in Tasmania. Today we hear from Rodney Dunn, the brainchild behind the Agrarian Kitchen - a restaurant, cooking school and garden set in New Norfolk, Tasmania.

The kitchen garden is at the centre of everything that happens at the Agrarian Kitchen with fresh produce being grown and harvested to support the cooking school, restaurant and function venue set 

Keith applauds the companion planting approach used in the garden to promote continuity of supply over the year. The 5000m vegetable garden is set in what was an old prison yard. The productive garden is a closed loop system with minimal waste, converting food waste into compost to maximise soil production.

Next visit to Tasmania, be sure to treat yourself to a visit to this incredible place

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Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
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Q&A time again! Who will be this month’s lucky winner of the fabulous prize donated by The Plant Runner?

• Unwanted grass coming up in garden beds try either organic Slasher or the less toxic version of Roundup now available called Roundup Natural
• Nectarine with gumosis seems unusual to Keith! Possibly grafted onto an unsuitable rootstock?
• Pots with wheels! A great idea to enable moving them around with the seasons. Check out Omnia Plant Gliders. Potting mix should be replaced every 3-5 years
• Pruning crepe myrtle - cut back by ⅓ in Winter months
• Dahlia tubers only need to be dug up if you are in areas with heavy frosts. Feed with Blood & Bone, Rooster Booster or try Strikeback for Orchids
• Escallonia hedge is hardy. Can be cut back hard. Keith suggests aerating the surrounding soil with a broad fork (check out F.D Ryan's)
• Hedge trimmers - Keith recommends AEG or EGO battery operated models
• Kurrajong trees attacked by the Kurrajong Bag Moth won’t usual destroy the tree but where size allows try ECO Neem and Eco Oil
• Rose with botrytis? Remove affected leaves/petals and bin them 
• Hydrangea cuttings should be taken late summer for propagation
• Planting an Avocado tree? - plant on mound, feed well and mulch with pea straw or lucerne. Plant min 8m from the nearest Eucalyptus tree.

Thank you for your great questions again!

Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/muddybootspodcast/ 
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Landscaping a garden can be overwhelming. Where to start? What to consider? This week, Keith gives us some practical advice.

Steps to follow:

1. Start with a ‘wish list’ - consider how you would ideally want to use the space. Do you want a BBQ, a pool, outdoor seating, a pond, vegetable garden etc. Look at the paved areas - do you want decking, paving, granitic sand etc. 
2. Start a Pinterest Board can be a great way to explore what you like and compile your ideas.
3. Consider zones including those that you don’t want to be seen (utility area, clothes line etc)
4. Create your plan (or employ a landscape architect), drawing in your structures, paving, decking and plants. Using the council plan of your house and garden will help you work to scale to work out the quantities of what you need - eg for soil, plants etc
5. Before commencing, existing vegetation will need to be poisoned and remove any unwanted materials. Slasher is an excellent organic herbicide
6. Lay down the paving decking etc
7. Bring in the soil and additional materials for soil improvement. Soil improvement is the number one factor to growing a healthy, lush garden. Adding Compost, Clyde’s lignite humate to improve the soil and using products like MycoGold will give your plants a great start. Mulch - Keith recommends granitic sand over the top of soil. 
8. Irrigation best to go in before the plants. Check out Dan Modular Sprinklers
9. Planting - Autumn when they can get established before the winter.

Consider a landscaper to do the initial work of the pathways, decking, soil and irrigation systems if this is too much work.

Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/muddybootspodcast/ 
Facebook: Muddy Boots Podcast | Facebook 

Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/muddybootspodcast/ 
Facebook: Muddy Boots Podcast | Facebook 

Struggling to have enough pockets for your secateurs, phone, seed packets etc while you're working in the garden? Well this week we meet Sahra Dixon, who has the solution!

Le Sac is a gardening belt designed to be both practical and stylish. Cotton/canvas, machine washable, built for comfort with plenty of pockets for your gardening essentials (even a pocket for your Airpods!). Affordable at $75.95

Find out also about Sahra's other venture - The Wool Shed. The Wool Shed is an intimate, farm-to-table experience, situated on a working farm in Burragate on the far South Coast of New South Wales.

Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/muddybootspodcast/ 
Facebook: Muddy Boots Podcast | Facebook 

Q&A time again! Who will be this month’s lucky winner of the fabulous prize donated by The Plant Runner?

• Lemon tree with droopy branches from so much fruit? 4 stakes and lightly tying the branches to support them, could help here. Alternatively, remove some of the fruit
• Cut flower bed in a raised bed - Keith recommends a wild flower mix. Look at The Seed Collection 
• Direct or pre-propagate in a greenhouse? Check the seed pack. Peas, beans etc can be sown directly
• Hibiscus rubra with spots and holes. Could be metallic flea beetle. Treat with ECO Neem and Eco Oil (including the soil and under the leaves), also try Diatomaceous Earth or companion planting with fennel or coriander
• Ficus stipulata (pumila or minima) is a great choice for covering a fence where the soil depth is minimal
• Hear about the benefits of Comfrey and the experience at the Garden of St.Earth. Other crops like lucerne, beans, peas and “Clever Clover” also have benefits to the soil.
• Keith recommends MycoGold - added at time of planting

Thank you for your great questions again!

Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/muddybootspodcast/ 
Facebook: Muddy Boots Podcast | Facebook 

Citrus trees - a complex and needy tree to grow but worth it when you are well rewarded with abundant fruit. We have regularly discussed their heavy feeding requirements and the long list of pests that can cause problems. Today, instead, we are discussing “root stock”.

Grafting is bringing a tree with good root structure together with best the quality and size of fruit. Rootstock is grown then the trunk is cut above the ground and the desired fruiting tree is grafted onto this trunk. 

The most common root stock is Trifoliata due to its smaller size, disease resistance and tolerance to cold. Troyer is another common rootstock and “Flying Dragon” is another rootstock ideal for pots or smaller spaces due to its slow growing habit.

Most rootstocks have a life span of approximately 10 years. Expect to have to replace your tree after this time. Occasionally a rootstock may send up a shoot. This should be removed to ensure it doesn’t dominate the fruiting part of the tree.

Citrus care - regular (weekly) deep watering, feed regularly with Neutrog Gyganics or Harry's Citrus Food and regularly spray with a mix of ECO Neem and Eco Oil

Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/muddybootspodcast/ 
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Whether you have a large rural garden or a small city balcony, creating “zones” will help you make the most out of the space and optimise its functionality.

• Hedging is a great way of creating different zones
• Plants like Syzygium australe (Straight and Narrow) are perfect for a tall narrow screen
• Grasses like the giant form of Miscanthus sinesis can be used to divide areas
• Areas can be divided by using different materials and structures such as concrete reinforcing mesh to grow a creeper on or vertical timber screening that can be softened with plants like Festuca glauca
• Varying heights can also enhance a feeling of different rooms or zones. Sunken seating areas, raised garden beds or even raised pools for example (check out Plungie Pools)
• Garden lighting helps create areas at night
• Covered seating/pergola areas - consider a deciduous climber to give shade in summer and light and sun in winter
• Water features such as birdbaths, fountains, showers add interest and a calming element
• Paths link the rooms. Paths can be created using bluestone pavers, concrete pavers, grass, sleepers

Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/muddybootspodcast/ 
Facebook: Muddy Boots Podcast | Facebook 

Herbs - an essential in every kitchen and a favourite in every garden. This week we talk to Elle from Australian Medicinal Herbs. Hear the story of Elle’s transition from the police force to medicinal herbs. 

The certified organic Australian Medicinal Herbs grow, process and sell from their farm - “paddock to packet”. 

A fascinating episode where Elle talks about the workings of their business as well as sharing some tips for the home gardener on using herbs for remedial purposes.

Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/muddybootspodcast/ 
Facebook: Muddy Boots Podcast | Facebook 

Q&A time again! Who will be this month’s lucky winner of the fabulous prize donated by The Plant Runner?

• Granitic sand and Decomposed Gravel - what’s the difference? Granitic sand is crushed rock under 4mm. Keith thinks “Deco Gravel” as the listener refers to, is essentially the same.
• Carrot seeds where tomatoes have previously been, good or bad? Good! “Carrots love tomatoes”
• NPK - Potassium helps with flowering and fruiting. Apply organic potassium alongside Munash Rock Dust to improve productivity
• pH - very Alkaline results. Hear what Keith thinks is going on!
• Strawberry with a lot of runners and not so much fruit. What’s going on? Use only the first runner (best genetics). Cambridge Rival and Chandler varieties are what Keith would recommend. (refer to our Berry episode on 23.4.24)
• Repot lemons or put them in the ground? Do either. Remove by tipping on its size and use hose to loosen soil. Either put into the ground (hole twice the size of the root ball or into a pot larger than the last)
• Roses? Where to buy and what to look for? Look for reputable growers. David Austin roses come with Keith’s recommendation
• Black volcanic soil is highly reactive and can crack. Can be improved with addition of Clyde’s lignite and Clyde's Compost.  Gypsum and Rooster Booster may help for the lawn in these conditions
• WA listener looking for screening plants as a wind break - Keith recommends checking out Domus, Hortbiz and Frenchams. Take a look at their range. 

Thank you for your great questions again!

Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/muddybootspodcast/ 
Facebook: Muddy Boots Podcast | Facebook